


Rediscovering our Future

by CyberSearcher



Category: Tron (Movies), Tron - All Media Types
Genre: Catzler, Energy Pool, Gen, M/M, What if Rinzler broke his program sooner?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 17:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18077729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberSearcher/pseuds/CyberSearcher
Summary: Sam and Rinzler escape the Arena and into the Outlands. Despite nearly being killed half a dozen times along the way. Sam just rolls with it.





	Rediscovering our Future

[BC]::::

“User.” 

It’s as much of a warning that Sam will get as Rinzler jumped of him and practically threw him onto his feet. His wrist is tugged forward and he heard something shatter. 

He’s still running on adrenaline, so when he sees Rinzler backflip out of the newly formed hole in the arena wall, he doesn’t hesitate to jump after him. Sam grunted at the impact, but he forced his body forward. 

Somehow, Rinzler still had a hand on his wrist as they ran. With his free one, the Program pulled on a baton on his thigh. He only let go to snap it in half, then proceed to grow into a lightcycle before his eyes. Sam was suddenly stuck with another strong hit of nostalgia. 

Sam jumped onto the vehicle just as Rinzler kicked it into high gear. It sped off across the glassy floor, trailing a ribbon of orange light. He curled his arm firmly against his waist, still panting as he turned behind him to check if they were being chased. 

When he looked upward, he cursed bitterly. “Shit! We’ve got Recognizers on our tail!” 

The glowing ships soared overhead, tracking them with a firm spotlight on their position. He ducked reflexively as he felt a blast from the ship tear a hole through the buildings beside them. Pixels fell across his body and he pressed himself closer to Rinzler. 

He turned forward and realized they were driving up a ramp. Toward incoming traffic. The lightcycle jumped into the air for a moment before landing back on the street, now faced with dodging the dozen of vehicles driving toward them along with the Recognizers. 

“What the fuck dude?!” Sam yelled through the wind.

If Rinzler heard him, he didn’t respond. But to his credit, the Program weaved through the chaos with precision grace. Though Sam could hear some of the vehicles shatter behind them, feel the voxels pelt against his back. 

The Recognizers were getting closer now, three trailing and firing down at them. Sam squinted past the blurring lights to try and guess where they were going. But he caught sight of the ledge a moment to late. 

“Wait! Wait what’re you do-.“

His inquiry was drowned out by his screaming as their ride disintegrated under his legs just as it flew of the edge of the road. Sam was left flailing in the air for a heart-stopping second. 

Rinzler snapped the baton back together, then apart once again as a Light Jet formed around his body. In the last second, he made a sharp banking turn and pulled the screaming User into the back of the new vehicle. 

Sam was left hyperventilating as he held the nearest surface in a death grip. They soared toward the vast Outlands and up into the ever persistent storm clouds. Their Jet was much faster than the Recognizers and by now, they had a fair span of distance between them. 

The User rubbed at the bridge of his nose, head still throbbing with all the excitement. He knew he should be furious, but the only emotion he could muster was exhaustion and exasperation. 

He let his head hit the back of their ship. “Warn a guy next time you do that?” 

The only response he received was the crash of lightning overhead. 

Sam stepped up cautiously toward the cockpit. “So, do you know where we’re going? Or are we just winging it?” 

This time, the program just tilted its helmet. Then a subtle shake. Sam sighed. “Alright, well do you think it’s safe to land at least?” 

Rinzler nodded at that, and they slowly descended the clouds. Below them was an endless expanse of black, cubic and reflective ground. The city was nothing more than pinpricks of light on the horizon. Sam couldn’t help but marvel at how far they traveled in such a short time. 

He scanned the ground below them, trying to see if there was anything that looked like shelter below them. Now that they were beyond the immediate danger, Sam couldn’t help but fixated on Rinzlers circuits. 

There were so fewer than the other Programs he’d seen. And it was all small dots and squares, no broad lines. Sam saw how the limited lights would dim, then return to their normal light. But he saw how the intervals grew longer, the lights starting to flicker. 

The ground came suddenly and Sam ended up panicking as the Light Jet derezzed under his feet. He was low enough to the ground that nothing broke, but he was sure to bruise. He groaned and pushed himself up, rubbing at his sides. 

Rinzler ended up swan diving toward the ground, before rolling and re-clipping the baton to his thigh. “So,” Sam groaned, “where do we go from here?”

He pointed just over his shoulder, toward a nearby cliff face. Sam turned and squinted, and was just able to make out the outline of a cave entrance. The only detail to separate it was the odd, but visible glow that radiated from within the cavern. 

The program began walking, Sam couldn’t think of a reason not to follow. As much as he loathed it, he would be dependant on his would-be killer for knowledge of the Grid. But it didn’t stop his questions. 

“Hey, you didn’t tell me where we were going,” He jogged up. “So… will you?” 

Rinzler didn’t turn, but Sam could hear the faint purring kick up a notch. It didn’t take a genius to read the emotion as irritation. “Okay, alright. I’ll just follow you then.”

The cavern entrance was smaller than Sam expected, but it was just large enough for both of them to squeeze their way inside. Sam found himself awestruck with how spacious the cavern truly was, how much detail and colour was hidden just under the rocky shell. 

Rectangular stalagmites hung from the ceiling, light seeming to glow from inside them like a bismuth crystal. Additional light caught the edges of the rocks, rising upward from a glowing pool at the center of the room. It flowed a vivid, neon blue and the area around it seemed to spark with life and energy. Sam only took a step forward when he saw Rinzler practically sprint for the spring. 

He noticed that the texture of the ground changed under his feet, shifting from hard silicone to something vaguely akin to moss. Even the glow of the floor shifted from opaque blue to a pastel, mint green. 

Rinzler dropped to his knees by the pool, then surprised Sam by detaching his disks. He nearly tripled backward trying to escape, until he took a second glance. The Program wasn’t moving to attack him. He dipped his disk into the pool - Sam questioned why - then brought it up to his helmet like he was about to drink from it. 

Rinzler leaned back on his haunches, head hung low as he watched the liquid drip past the hole in the center. Then he simply reached down into the pool, cupping the light in his hands. Sam couldn’t help but sit beside him, wanting to know what the Program looked like under the helmet. 

He didn’t expect the Program to start pouring it onto his head. 

“What the - nevermind,” Sam shook the confusion away when Rinzler turned and tilted his head. “I’m not gonna question it. You do you, man.” 

The User leaned back against the rocks, sighing and rubbing at his temples. He let one of his hands dip into the liquid. Looking down, it was as if energy itself crawled up his arm. He traced lazy circles with his hand, still confused, but confident it was harmless. 

He glanced back to Rinzler. One of his hands traced a line up his torso, around the squares on his neck and then stopped just shy of his cheek. He scratched at the base of his helmet - Sam wondered if that thing could come off - before curling his palms back into his lap. He could still hear the faint growling. 

It took him a second to long to realize the Program was staring at him again. “Uhh, your… your lights look better.” 

It felt as stupid as it sounded, but the orange lights on Rinzlers suit did pulse brighter. Part of him registered the slight, wet shine of blue light from the liquid energy - he didn’t know what else to call it. But if Sam squinted, he could almost see the nicks and dashes shifting blue as well. 

Sam saw Rinzlers head trace up the circuits of his own suit. Part of him wanted to fold his arms over his chest in an odd impulse. He watched as Rinzler tilted his head again, then bent down to cup the energy from the pool in his hands. 

He stood, closing the distance between them, then fell to one knee. Rinzler’s head was bowed and his arms outstretched, presenting the glowing liquid to Sam. The User was left with a thick, unpleasant feeling growing in his mouth and his gut. The posture, the submission, to him it looked too close to prayer. Sam didn’t want to think about who would want someone to behave like this. 

“User.” Rinzler purred, pushing his hands forward. 

“Oh.” Sam said, growing more uncomfortable. “Oh… uh. I-no thanks. I’m not thirsty.” 

Rinzler tilted his head. Sam suddenly realized how large the communication gap was. He wasn’t even certain how much Rinzler could speak, save for the single word. He looked down to his hand again, wondering if it would be so bad. 

“Screw it.” Sam hastily scooped the liquid from the pool and shoved it into his mouth. He found himself nearly choking, but not for the reason he expected. 

It tasted like cool spice, static and smelled faintly of ozone. He felt his senses light up with clarity, suddenly filled with euphoria. “Holy crap, this is awesome.” 

He knelt by the pool and began drinking directly from the spring. The circuits across his suit glowing brighter with each mouthful. Sam pulled back reluctantly to breath and wipe the edge of his mouth. 

When he glanced back to Rinzler, he wasn’t kneeling anymore. But he still held the energy in his hands. “You don’t have to do that you know? I’m not your master… god, whatever.” 

If it was possible, Rinzler looked confused. Sam bit at his lip. Then he suddenly remembered something. He glanced at his forearm, the cut was gone. The only sign of damage the pale line of skin under the suit. 

From the corner of his eye, Sam saw Rinzler twist his head away. Sam could still remember the searing heat of the disk at his throat, the sting from the cut. The weight of it all came back to hit him, uncomfortably clear. 

He sighed. “Look, we’re gonna be stuck together for now. We’re just gonna… I don’t know. We’ll call it even for now. Just don’t try to kill me again.”

At the word ‘kill’, he could swear he saw Rinzler flicker again. 

They were safe, for now. Despite the hundreds of questions running through Sam’s head, he felt like he could relax for the first time since entering this computer world. With a murder-cat program at his heels.

Sam laughed to himself, drawing Rinzlers attention. “This is nuts.” 

The purring stuttered for a few seconds, almost like a laugh.


End file.
